Someone has to admit it. And that someone has to be me.

I fell too easily into Molly's trap. As a result, I'm now forced to sit down and burn my eyes by watching a 2-hour movie full of cringy bad boys. Though her promises were not just mere words, nothing changes the fact that the movie reeked of unbearable men who mistook viciousness for manliness. Yet, the directors had the audacity to use horror as their cheap mask.

The longer this went, the more my frustrations grew. On the other hand, there's my partner who's trembling — clearly no match for the power of makeup and 3D effects. Entertainment was supposed to be the goal of this venture, but it only fed me dissatisfaction. Oh well, I can only hope it gets a redemption arc.

By the end of the movie, Molly wasn't pleased either, and her reasons greatly contradicted the way she chose to live her life.

"Ugh, why did they have to end up together?!" she asks no one in particular, hoping to quell her rage.

"Well, he's the male lead, and she's the female lead," I said. "It's only natural that they end up together."

No, that doesn't sound right. Let's take this one more time. "Scratch that. It is a law that they must marry and have a child at the end. Otherwise, climate change will be solved, and we don't have to worry about children starving all over the world."

"That's not the point!" It seems my answer was unsatisfactory and therefore denied.

"Nathan was toxic, okay?" Alright, I see where this is going. "And then there's Pete, who obviously has to be uglier than him, BUT," she pauses before saying, "BUT, he treats her like a queen."

"I wouldn't choose someone who treats me like a queen too. Imagine all the political responsibilities he's gonna force down your throat."

Molly's expression becomes flat, and I can tell by the way her mouth twitches that she is now suffering a teensy tiny bit of my frustrations from earlier. In the first place, why would anyone use such a term associated with great responsibility as a substitute for endearing words? Have they never watched anything beyond cartoons?

Are the allos okay?

Instead of entertaining the awkward silence between us, Molly chose to disperse it by pretending I never mentioned that. She figured that there was no point in debating at the movie theater's exit, and has thus continued where she left off. "Wasn't Amy supposed to be the class valedictorian? Why then did she choose someone who ruined her life over the ever-loving, ever-gentle, and ever-perfect Pete?!"

"Come on, all Nathan has is his looks!" Seems like she's really trying to get it all out of her system.

"Don't forget his blue orbs," I added, which earned an eye roll. "Molly, there's a simple solution to this."

She gives me an insincere laugh, the one she often uses when she believes my next few words are going to be absurd. "What, blackmail the author?"

"No." Goodness, if anyone's words were to be absurd, it would be hers. "Just leave the movie theater."

Her forehead creased, and she shakes her head with so much disapproval. "That'd be embarrassing and a waste of money."

"But wasting time is far more inefficient."

***

I knew I was a soccer fan, but I didn't know this girl was too. So it came as a surprise when our next itinerary was the soccer stadium.

The crowd bustled in excitement, and each side chanted the name of their team. It was the one place that I liked despite my immense dislike of loud noises. Maybe because most of the time, I'm busy enjoying the game enough to care. Well, who wouldn't be if they always get the best seat? You know, the ones closest to the midfield.

"Since when?" Molly tilts her head towards me, waiting for the question to finish. "Since when did you like soccer?"

She faces the field once again, "Well, my latest ex used to take me here for dates, so it was only recently that I got into it."

Look at this pipsqueak finding exes from left to right, and here am I who can't even have more than two friends. How unfair.

A sudden uproar from the crowd cuts off my thoughts. Sounds like the game's finally starting. My seatmate opens her first bag of popcorn. Prior to the event, she had stocked up the food in hopes of preventing its extinction before the winning team was officially declared. Since I escaped the tragic fate of surrounding money earlier, I insisted to pay for her chocolate-flavored popcorn.

She took a bite of it and asked, "So, you still vouching for the White Eagles?"

"Yeah," I nod.

Molly raises an eyebrow, amusement dancing in her expression. "Well, since it came from you who've never guessed wrong, guess I'll take their side as well."

That may be true at the moment. However, you can never be too sure. After all, we're dealing with life here. The sliest being in existence.

Thankfully, I never once believed that my streak would never be broken. Because today marked the first time it did.

The acceptance took me less than a second, but as for my two seatmates, I'm not so certain. Although they both couldn't come to terms with the fact that the three-year consecutive champion lost, their reasons greatly alter from each other. One stemmed from the fact that they were simply frustrated their favorite team lost while the other was disappointed my predictions weren't accurate.

They took it harder than me and even went so far as to call it a conspiracy. I told her to stop and get some help.

Besides, it isn't really surprising when he's on the other team.

***

As the sun sets on the horizon, numerous questions race across my mind frantically. The most popular one was — "What do you plan to do after graduation?"

A question that my date also wondered. We temporarily stop walking, and she turns my way with a joyful smile on her face.

"Honestly, I don't know. That's why we have one summer to think about it."

It's a trait of mine to plan and calculate. But in terms of the future, it would be a lie to say that it piques my interest.

The wheel of life never stops. It constantly transfers us from one obstacle to another, never even allowing for a moment to compose ourselves. Let alone, breathe. Sinful is a man who chose to defy this cycle.

Unlike others, I don't have the luxury of time. Sitting down and carefully analyzing the options laid out in front of you, as if I was ever given that chance in the first place.

"Well, if you're so unsure," a smile forms on her lips, "we can just go to the same university! After all, we're both planning on taking engineering."

That wouldn't be a bad idea... probably, depending on the type of university she's entering.

"So which university are you going to?"

She puffs her shoulders, smile only growing further, "UE. The top university in this country. What do you say? You're in, aren't you? Aren't you?" Seems like someone's confident they won't be faced with rejection.

Before I could even realize it, I was already laughing. And even I did not know why. When I finished, a confused Molly stared at me. "What was that for?"

"Well, it isn't bad." Definitely isn't, but agreeing on the spot about a life-changing matter isn't a wise decision. Plus, we're dealing with Molly. Any other person would be less troublesome. So the best one can offer for now is to provide praise and acknowledgment.

She almost pouts, "Does that mean you're not going with me?" Those puppy eyes would have probably worked if someone else was the receiver. Such expressions are useless under my watch.

"Let me think about it. There's still a few months left," I replied.

"Sure," Molly withdraws — quicker than expected — perhaps contented that it wasn't a rebuff. "Keep in mind though that you have to confirm your slot already this coming May. That's about two months from now."

Honestly, that's a lot of time. If it was in a week, maybe I'd panic a little. But all is well.

"It's fine," I tell her, "You'll know my answer before then."

The sky starts shifting colors, going from light to dark in a matter of minutes. Along with the disappearance of the sun, the temperature also dropped. And so did the smile I didn't know was lingering on my face earlier.

"Alright!"

Silence ensues, and the quacking of the ducks, as they travel by the river, takes over. We keep walking again. This time, side by side.

Q: In my rewrite, I'd be introducing different schools and academies. What type of academic institution do you want to see?

Author's Notes commented inline here ➵